Legend of Karakura
by Ardent Flame
Summary: Time flows like a river, reducing history's events like a rock in a riverbed. Fact becomes legend, and then the legend is reduced to nothing more than a bedtime story. Now, a nearly forgotten legend will rise and change the present. Rated M for a reason. Abandoned, possibly up for adoption.


_Author's Notes:_ This is my first attempt at a Bleach story. I hope you enjoy it. It will feature an Original Character, so if you're not into those, just letting you know. This is an M rated story for a reason, so I will immediately delete any review complaining about Gore/Violence/Lemons or anything else implied by a Mature rating. Also, please excuse me if I didn't correctly translate a term.

_Notes for the Reader:_ Full names are given in the form of name-surname within the narrative. However, all full names are given in the form of surname-name in the dialogue. Please bear this in mind while you are reading.

Japanese Translations_:  
><em>

_Daikō_ - Substitute

__Hime_ - Princess_

_Kaa_ - Mother

_Nakama_ - Friend, companion

_Shōten_ - Shop

_Shihakushō_ - Garment of Dead Souls

_Disclaimer:_ I do not own Bleach. I, however, own all original characters and original plot points in this story.

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><p><strong>Legend of Karakura<strong>

**Chapter 1**

Masaki Kurosaki, a light brown haired woman wearing a light pink blouse and a long, dark skirt was sitting on the couch in her home, relaxing in the warm spring day. She was idly watching a television show that caught her eye as she flicked through the channels when a small boy with a shock of orange hair, no older than five, burst through the door.

"Kaa-san!" He exclaimed as he rushed to the couch and jumped beside his mother who chuckled at her eldest's antics. "Could you tell me a story Kaa-san? _Please_?" The boy whined, making his mother chuckle lightly again.

"Alright, how about..." She trailed off as she thought about an appropriate story to tell her son. "How about I tell you a story of a great man who founded Karakura?"

Her son's eyes lit up as he eagerly awaited for his mother to continue. She lifted him up into her lap and started telling the story.

"Many, many years ago, there was a samurai named Takeda Hachiro. He was a great man, a warrior that had stood up to great armies and many evil men, always protecting the ones he loved and correcting injustices. One day, he decided that he wanted to have a home and family, so he and his fellow samurai and their families made a village where they lived in peace and harmony. However, one day, an evil samurai came and overthrew Hachiro who was the village's leader and instilled tyranny on the village. The evil samurai defeated Hachiro and there was nobody to stop him. However, Hachiro's spirit, seeing how the ones he loved suffered, came back to the evil tyrant and slayed him, freeing the village. They named the village Karakuracho, empty seat village, for they never chose a leader again, but worked together in harmony as Hachiro would have wanted."

The boy stared with wide eyes as he slowly replayed the story in his head. Suddenly, he came up with a decision. "I want to be just like Hachiro and protect everyone from bad people!" He announced loudly.

Masaki only smiled. "I believe you will Ichigo."

As it's often the case, history's facts become lost in the current's of time. As time goes, history becomes legend, a story of greatness neither proven true nor false and as time continues, the legend slowly fades until it's but a bed time story for children. An event in history reduced to a story by the currents of time over the course of centuries, much like a rock in the face of a charging river.

Hachiro Takeda was once a revered samurai of incredible skill and intellect. He had waged wars across the nation and brought prosperity and peace to many a region with his battalion of men he considered brothers. However, the story of the heroic man had a far more sinister ending...

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><p><strong>March 7. 1128.<strong>

Hachiro awoke with his head violently throbbing, but that was the least of his problems as he opened his eyes. It was night, a dozen samurai held up torches as he found himself chained to a large log embedded in the ground in the middle of the village he and his nakama raised from the ground up. He looked to his right to see a sobbing brunette clad in a torn and bloodied kimono in the same predicament as his. His wife cried behind the messy locks of her chocolate hair.

"Aiko..." He whispered hoarsely in shock from the sight of the woman he loved. It seemed that his wife hadn't heard him as she continued to sob and stare at the ground. He could barely believe what was happening. It had all been so peaceful... Such an ordinary spring afternoon when they broke into his house. His sorrowful musings were cut short by a voice that disgusted him to the core.

"You're finally awake." The circle of samurai that kept the scared and shocked civilians away parted to allow their leader to pass. Daisuke carried himself with pride as he walked over to his former best friend, clad in full armor and gear. His face was obscured by a mask depicting a demon. Very fitting for a man whose actions were comparable to one. Hachiro still felt his chest ache as he looked at his closest friend as a simple question plagued his mind.

"Why?" He asked the approaching man weakly, earning a dark, mirthless chuckle.

"Why?" Daisuke asked incredulously, glaring at the chained man. "I'll tell you why, _brother_." He hissed venomously. "You speak of us like your brethren, your friends, yet when the time comes, you always manipulate everything. You take the glory we all should share for yourself. People always recognize _you_, not _us_. Even that was tolerable, but then you decided to take something that was never yours..." He trailed off as he glanced at the broken woman to his left.

Hachiro was enraged. His former brother from another mother was still acting upon a jealousy he thought they all put behind them long ago. How dare he still lay his claim on her when she chose Hachiro and even made that clear herself to the man! He was even Hachiro's best man at the wedding!

"I let you have her, but she chose me!" He roared. "I thought we were over this! I thought you wanted her to be happy! I WILL KILL YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO HER!"

Daisuke looked at him with a smirk, then turned to the mass of people. "I, Taniguchi Daisuke, as this village's new leader, claim these two traitors! Their sentence will be immediate public execution!"

The villagers gasped, but only stood there in shock. They couldn't help their beloved leader. They stood no chance, even if in larger number, against a dozen skilled samurai. Most of the samurai population was either dead or absent on a trip to help neighboring villages and nurture good relations. The only ones left were those loyal to Daisuke, Daisuke himself and the helpless Hachiro.

Speaking of the traitor, he calmly made his way over to Aiko who still tuned out the world around her. Hachiro roared, trying to force himself free of the chains. Daisuke unsheathed a wakizashi and held it behind his back as he hunched over. He lifted Aiko's chin slowly as Hachiro struggled against the chains with all his might. Aiko blinked at Daisuke. He smiled a sickly sweet smile and impaled Aiko through the chest.

Hachiro felt as if the blade pierced his own heart as he fell limp, his bruised and bleeding wrists being held up behind him. Tears fell to the ground as he stared at it in mute shock. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe any of this. This had to be a nightmare. It had to be! Soon, he will wake up only to see his love beside him and tell him it was all a bad dream.

He felt a hard yank on his hair as he was held up by a sneering Daisuke. Hachiro looked ahead, his eyes staring unto infinity.

"Her blood is on your hands." The man uttered before a horizontal swipe of his wakizashi ended the man's life...

But then why was he crouching beside Daisuke? He stood up and looked at the people with morbid curiosity as he tried to make sense of his predicament. He was free of the chains that held him, but a new one dangled from...

He raised a shaky hand to his chest and touched the chain that started from his very body. His head turned to the right to see his own headless body hanging lifelessly. Daisuke still held his head by the hair and held it up for the world to see, fresh blood dripping from it.

He was dead, but he didn't care anymore. What life would have been worth living in the hell that his last moments promised? He looked at the body of his wife, his shock faded and his heart was hit with a wave of utter despair. He didn't notice the hungry mouths that started gnawing on his chain as it started corroding as he gazed upon her form lying in a pool of blood. Then her clothes caught his eye. They were torn, barely covering her while her bruised rear was fully exposed to the world.

It hit him. The clothes, the crying, her obliviousness to the world around her while she drowned herself in her misery...

_They raped her._

His head snapped to the scum that now paraded his head around to the paralyzed crowd. His body shook with unspoken rage, not registering the pain that associated to the chain of fate being devoured , leaving only a single, fragile link remaining. A second later, the final link snapped and Hachiro screamed, clutching his head as a white substance began pouring out of his mouth, nose, ears and from under his eyes and started enveloping his face.

He didn't know how long it was until he came to, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that Daisuke was giving a speech he did not give a flying fuck for. Hachiro had turned into something that he would have, and will once he saw his reflection, describe as demonic. His face was obscured by a bone like mask. It had a black flame pattern that licked up to his eyes that were now a black sclera and burning crimson irises. His body was bulky, but still more or less humanoid. It was fully black and allowed him to stand on two legs, unlike most low level Hollows. The telltale hole was adorning his chest while his hands were razor like claws and his toes were tipped with talons. Right now, this beast had only one goal in its instinct driven mind.

Daisuke gasped as he felt his head being caught in an almost crushing grip and he was suddenly flung into a wall of a nearby building. Hachiro walked slowly towards the bleeding and panicking traitor. He slammed a claw down on his thigh, eliciting a pained scream as he pulled the leg off. He grasped the ankle of the torn off leg and slammed it against Daisuke's face, dislocating his lower jaw.

Hachiro wasn't done yet, oh no. He slammed his taloned foot into the man's chest and reached down, gripping both of his arms while digging his claws deep into the flesh. Daisuke's mouth was open as if in a scream, but no sound was able to come out of his throat. Hachiro let the arms fall to the ground as he retracted his foot only to start rapidly pounding the man into the stone wall he was propped up against. With a final stomp, he fully shattered the man's ribs, leaving him only handful of second on this earth. With a guttural roar, the Hollow reared back its hand and slashed across the man's face, taking half of his head off as a result.

Hachiro panted as he glared at the body that now oozed blood and brain matter all over the ground. The crowd that only saw Daisuke being torn apart for no valid reason was either already far away from the scene or unconscious in the poodles of vomit that littered the streets from the moment Daisuke's leg flew off.

The now dead samurai turned away, no longer able to bear to be in this hellish nightmare and tore away air with his claw on pure instinct. A tear in space appeared in front of him and he disappeared into the portal, leaving the world of the living behind to go to the one that was calling to him. That was the last day the soon to be named Karakura would ever see the hollowfied soul of Hachiro Takeda in this millennium...

* * *

><p>Hueco Mundo had no history. It simply existed as a vast desert under a constantly moonlit sky, only the sands witnessing the events transpiring over the eons of its existence. The only other witnesses to times long past were the Vasto Lorde, beings at the apex of Hollow evolution. Their power was unmatched and therefore nobody had a chance against a Vasto Lorde except another of the same kind. However, Vasto Lorde felt no hunger for souls anymore, so they didn't feast on those lower than they were and neither fought between themselves, preferring to watch over the desert in search for a new purpose, even if a temporary one. When one is a Hollow, its purpose is to get more powerful. When it reached its limit however, there was nothing left for it to aspire to.<p>

One such Hollow stood on a dune in the endless desert and gazed upon the sky in thought. The Hollow was by far one of the most unorthodox of its kin. Even if he had a strong hierro, he wore a set of intimidating black armor with a red trim, one easily identifiable as one of a samurai. If looked at from afar, he looked like an ordinary, six foot four human wearing samurai armor. His helmet, also a samurai design, held a crescent moon at the front just like the moon that lit Hueco Mundo's sky. His face was covered in a black mask with a red flame portrayed on it up to the bridge of his nose. Only his black and crimson eyes were revealed, along with small patches of alabaster skin.

Hachiro stood there, clad in the armor that simply appeared on him during his last transformation. The only part of the armor that was actually tied to him was the mask that was actually his Hollow mask. The other parts though were not ordinary in any sense of the word. The armor held the ability of being repaired or replaced with use of High-Speed Regeneration. A trait he rarely needed since the armor was as strong as his hierro. The crescent moon on his helmet was also one of the focusing points for his Cero.

Armor wasn't the only thing Hachiro gained. A whole arsenal could be found on his person. A katana hung on his left hip, a pair of sai on each thigh, a couple of wakizashi across the small of his back and a pouch of hira shuriken rested on his right hip. As said before, Hachiro was anything but an ordinary Hollow.

"_Once a samurai, always a samurai."_ He thought with a sigh. He was tired of the monotonous desert he lived in for almost a thousand years by now. Five hundred of those were spent roaming and exploring since he progressed to a Vasto Lorde after four centuries. A Vasto Lorde powerful enough to become a well known legend amongst the Hollows. Hachiro chuckled, remembering his nickname.

"_Takeda Hachiro, Wandering Blade of the Endless Desert." _He thought in a mock dramatic manner. Another thing that differentiated him from the other Hollows was that he remembered his life as a living human ever since he hit the Adjuchas stage. After that, he swore to follow his old ideals.

As a direct result of that oath, he had aided some of the Shinigami that came into Hueco Mundo to do exploration. Never did they learn not to send the low seated officers into a realm which was ruled by the mightiest of Hollows. Why the Shinigami were that stupid, he had never known. Whenever he would sense a patrol, he would go out to meet them and offer them the same deal he always did. He would offer protection and guidance and in return he would ask the Shinigami about their realm and inner workings. The deals had an extremely surprising success rate considering Hollows and Shinigami were mortal enemies.

Hachiro was a Hollow and definitely didn't like the idea of how the Soul Society had a black and white outlook on Hollows. However, he understood their reasoning. Most of the Hollows were low level and therefore were ruled with instinct, leaving little room for coherent thought. Those instincts always led to the devouring of ones close to their former selves or attacking anyone who had a larger amount of spiritual power. His decision to help the Shinigami was partially influenced by his wish to show that not all Hollows were evil like the Shinigami believed. It seemed to succeed since with every new expedition he would be looked at in awe by Shinigami who were honored to meet the legendary Hollow.

Because of that, Hachiro had a basic grasp on the Shinigami hierarchy and powers, though his information might be outdated. The Shinigami hadn't passed Hueco Mundo in a while. Well, none except that Taicho. The Soul Reaper was infamous for his nonchalant strides across Hueco Mundo and his crusade to recruit powerful Hollows to his cause by promising more power. He was after the most powerful beings of the vast desert, and the Wandering Blade knew all too well that he was on the man's list.

While Hachiro was bored with his pointless existence, he was not interested in following someone who would willingly betray his kind. After all, why would anyone assemble an army of Hollow and Arrancar if not for war?

Dropping his gaze from the crescent moon, he made a decision he would never even think of a few hundred years back.

He was going to pay his old village a visit.

With a glance over his shoulder towards the infinite sand, he tore a Garganta towards the world of the living.

* * *

><p>Ichigo Kurosaki, a fifteen year old teen, was lying on his bed, bored out of his wits. He spent almost all Friday fighting Hollows, but today there were absolutely none popping out. He turned his head towards the short, raven haired girl who kept her violet eyes glued to a manga she was reading while lying on the floor.<p>

"Oi, Rukia, anything from that phone?" Ichigo asked. His answer was a black drawing marker to the forehead from a very pissed off Rukia Kuchiki.

"You asked me that for the hundredth time!" She yelled. "We'll hear it when a Hollow turns up! It will-"

Her rant was cut short by a beeping noise that signified a Hollow's appearance. Ichigo grinned and immediately ran to snatch Kon, or should he say, Bostov, from Yuzu's room.

"Beep." She muttered and followed after the orange haired teen.

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><p>Hachiro was looking around in surprise and admittedly awe as he walked through the streets of what he only remembered as a small village. Now it was full blown town with large building made of metal and stone with a lot of people, not to mention strange objects and devices.<p>

Right now, Hachiro was standing in front of a pane of glass. Behind it were a multitude of black devices that held a kind of glass on the front. It was showing some people talking and arguing as if they were right in front of him. It was like the devices were windows into another place in the world and showed it with true detail. He felt captivated and continued to watch as the scenes unfolded. He didn't even notice that two figures stood behind him and stared.

Rukia and Ichigo could not help but stare as they watched a samurai-esque Hollow be entranced by a Spanish soap opera. It was by far the strangest Hollow they've seen to this day. By both appearance and behavior. Suddenly, the Hollow snapped its gaze away from the television set and continued down the street, not giving them any notice.

Rukia got a sense of dread by simply looking at the Hollow for some reason. She felt only a small amount of reiatsu and her observations were confirmed by the phone she held in her hand, but the Hollow still made her wary. It was far too small to be an ordinary Hollow, not that anything about it was ordinary. She was about to tell Ichigo that they should keep their distance and watch when the idiot started shouting.

"Hey, you Hollow!" He called, making the samurai stop and turn around. "What do you think you're doing?"

Hachiro raised a brow as he looked at the tall teenager with a large Zanpakutō on his back and the small girl with a tick on her forehead as she glared daggers at the orange head.

"_**It's been a while since I've seen a Shinigami." **_He said, immediately taking note of the boy's immense reiatsu that he leaked continuously. **_"I have no quarrel with you."_**

"Every Hollow who comes to my town has a quarrel with me." Ichigo said and drew his Zanpakutō. "I'll purify you in a moment, don't worry."

He rushed off while Rukia was deep in thought. The Hollow was far smaller than any she had seen, that was obvious. Also, the armor and weapons he had on him were that of a classical samurai warrior. Then the unique mask that didn't cover his whole face would have hinted he was an Arrancar, yet there was no subtle presence of Shinigami reiatsu within him. Then there was the his speech. He spoke in a way too articulate manner for a Hollow while his voice seemed to be much less Hollow-like than any other Hollow. Then the feeling of dread that tingled her spine. It felt like she was about to stare Death in the face. Her eyes suddenly widened as she pieced together the clues.

"ICHIGO!" She yelled frantically, but she was too late. Ichigo was swinging his Zanpakutō down upon an unmoving Hachiro. Suddenly, the blade was stopped by a gloved hand mere centimeters from Hachiro, making both Shinigami freeze.

"_**Why do you insist on fighting me Shinigami?"**_ Hachiro asked. **_"I already told you I held nothing against you. I'm simply visiting the place I helped to build over a millennium ago."_**

Hachiro simply held the blade, no ill will or reiatsu coming off of him as he simply investigated the man's reasoning. Rukia however was shaking.

"Ichigo..." She almost whispered, gaining the man's attention. "He is a Vasto Lorde. He's at the strongest stage a Hollow can achieve. Not even the strongest Shinigami are allowed to attack one alone."

Ichigo looked from Rukia to Hachiro with a hardened resolve. "I won't let you hurt anyone, even if I have to die stopping you."

Hachiro smiled behind the mask. So idealistic. It reminded him of himself at his roots. _**"You're very brave to stand up for your friends like that."**_ He commended. _**"But I already told you, I'm not here to fight anyone. You have nothing to fear from me. I would never attack the town I created."**_ He repeated, hoping his words would finally reach the young Shinigami as he let his Zanpakutō go.

"What do you mean 'the town you created'?" Ichigo inquired, keeping his guard up.

"_**I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself properly."**_ Hachiro apologized. **_"I am Takeda Hachiro, samurai and founder of this town."_**

Something clicked inside of Ichigo's brain. He knew that something was tickling him about the way Hachiro talked about building Karakura and his appearance, but now that he heard the name, his memory told him why he sounded so familiar.

"Wait, you want to tell me you're that guy from the kid story?" Ichigo asked in slight disbelief. Could it really be that the character he chose as a role model when he was but a five year old was the Hollow that now stood in front of him.

"_**If it had anything to do about my crusades through Japan, then it is a yes."**_ Hachiro replied. Rukia was taking careful steps towards the two.

"Are... Are you really the Guardian Samurai of Hueco Mundo?" Rukia asked in shock. She had heard stories of many Shinigami who had lived to tell the tales of their explorations of the Hollow realm due to the help of one specific Hollow who introduced himself as Takeda Hachiro.

"_**I see my reputation precedes me."**_ Takeda said while nodding, leaving a very confused Ichigo.

"Wait, you _know _this guy?" He asked, inadvertently pointing his blade at the Hollow.

"He's the Hollow who had always kept our expeditions to the Hollow realm safe." Rukia explained then turned to Hachiro. "But what are you doing outside Hueco Mundo?"

"_**As I told the boy, I was visiting the town I founded with my samurai."**_ Hachiro explained. **_"I've seen that the world has changed dramatically in all these years. A lot of very strange things..."_**

Rukia and Ichigo sweatdropped as they remember Hachiro watching the soap opera intently minutes ago.

"I think we should go to Urahara's shop." Rukia said, breaking the silence.

"You sure you want to take him to Hat-and-clogs?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, Urahara needs to know of this. Takeda-san has never hurt a Shinigami. Besides, if he wanted to kill us, he could have done so already." Rukia explained, making Hachiro nod to her reasoning.

"_**Please, call me Hachiro."**_ Hachiro insisted as they started walking towards the shōten. The two nodded as they continued on in silence.

* * *

><p>Yoruichi Shihōin was very content to lie on the warm porch of Urahara's shop after a nice bowl of milk. If anyone was listening closely they would be able to hear a soft purr Yoruichi was absently letting out. Oh, yes, she <em>loved<em> being a cat.

The black cat was slowly drifting off to sleep when she felt the presence of a Hollow nearby. She sighed, knowing that her instincts wouldn't let her relax until the Hollow was gone. She extended her senses to feel where the Shinigami and her substitute were only to feel their signatures beside the Hollow one, apparently _walking_ towards the shōten. With a frown, Yoruichi stood up on her paws and faced the entrance to the yard, awaiting the arrival of the trio.

A minute later, three people turned the corner. One was the short, raven haired form of Rukia Kuchiki. The other was the tall, orange haired the teen clad in a Shihakushō, Ichigo Kurosaki. The last figure made Yoruichi's eyes bulge. It was a very human looking Hollow in black and red samurai armor. What caught her eyes was the mask. Not only was it smaller than normal, reaching up to the man's cheek bones, it was black with a red flame pasted on it.

A few things registered in Yoruichi's mind. One was that the humanoid form only meant one thing. The two, now officially most retarded people in the universe, decided to bring a fucking Vasto Lorde to Urahara's shop. Another was that no Hollow in recorded history had a black mask, not to mention had a pattern on it. If, no when, this Hollow decided to attack, Yoruichi wasn't sure she'd come out alive. That was the reason Yoruichi was so tense that she was ready to turn into human form and activate her Shunkō if a fly batted its wings.

"What..." Yoruichi hissed in her masculine cat voice, now dangerously cold, gaining two very shocked stares. "Are you two idiots trying to do by bringing a Hollow here?"

"Th-Th-The..." Ichigo stuttered, slowly raising a finger and pointing at Yoruichi. "The cat talked!"

For Yoruichi, it was the last straw. She lunged at Ichigo's face, completely forgetting the Hollow and deciding to spend her last moments by venting her rage on one of the retards. Rukia and Hachiro could hear the screams from underneath the black cat as she relentlessly scratched his face.

"YOU SPEND YOUR WHOLE LIFE SEEING GHOSTS AND YOU'RE SHOCKED THAT A CAT CAN TALK!" Yoruichi screamed. Hachiro slowly approached and wrapped his hands around the cat. He started yanking the protesting cat off of the poor teen's face, but she just dug her claws into his head, not wanting to let go. Hachiro had enough and put a foot to Ichigo's chest, who screamed the entire time, and pulled the animal off, turning her in his arms to face him.

"_**Cat-san,"**_ He spoke in a calm tone, attempting to soothe the cat. Yoruichi looked him in the eyes, again ready to transform and fight in a second's notice. **_"I'm sure Ichigo apologizes for his behavior. I'm aware you're not comfortable in my presence, but I swear on my life I'm not here to cause you harm."_**

To say Yoruichi was taken aback by the _polite_ and _articulate_ Hollow was a massive understatement. Not to mention it somehow managed to pull off to make it's voice to sound more human.

"A-A-A Hollow spoke a full sentence..." Yoruichi muttered in shock while Hachiro felt his left eye twitch as he started piecing together a theory of human degeneration. Shinigami included if the subtle signature the cat gave off was any clue. Maybe he was holding some kind of a failed Shinigami animal experiment.

Hachiro just shook his head and decided to leave the theories aside for the moment.

"_**And you're complaining that people are shocked when **_**you****_ talk."_** Hachiro muttered, gaining a glare. _**"Can I let you go without you jumping on anybody's face?"**_

Yoruichi slowly nodded and he gently put her down. She eyed the Hollow warily. She knew she shouldn't, but she let herself relax a bit, not that it was a large bit. The Hollow sounded honest when it said it didn't want to cause any trouble, but Yoruichi knew better than to let her guard down.

"Why did you bring him here?" Yoruichi directed her question to Rukia.

"We found him wandering in the center of town. When we showed up he was watching a television show." Rukia explained, making Yoruichi raise her brows. "I wanted to follow him quietly since he wasn't acting right when Ichigo decided that it was the best idea to charge at him."

Yoruichi slowly turned her head towards Ichigo, closing her eyes for a moment. She couldn't even bother to shout at him again.

"Then I realized we were dealing with a Vasto Lorde. Thankfully, Hachiro was friendly towards us and didn't attack, claiming that he just wanted to see his old town." Rukia finished. "Now we're here."

"_**I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself."**_ Hachiro cut in. **_"I am Takeda Hachiro. I believe I am known in Soul Society as the Guardian Samurai of Hueco Mundo according to Rukia."_**

Yoruichi's eyes widened slightly. She heard of the Guardian Samurai quite a few times during her time in the Gotei 13. Hell, the man was even a legend in the Rukongai. A friendly Hollow was unheard of in Soul Society and that was why many had scoffed at the very idea. Well, until every next reconnaissance team reported the exact same thing.

She looked Hachiro over. Yes, he definitely fit the description. She noticed that the mask fit in very well with the armor, hence she assumed that the other Shinigami simply thought he was an Arrancar with a samurai mask over his face.

"Shihōin Yoruichi." Yoruichi replied. Hachiro's eyebrows shot up. Wasn't Yoruichi Shihōin a Taicho in the Gotei 13? Furthermore, the Shihōin family was noble if his memory served him right. He wanted to ask questions, but judging by the way Ichigo and Rukia acted they didn't know they were in the presence of a Taicho. He would wait until he could speak to _her_ in private.

"Let's take this conversation inside. Kisuke needs to know about this." Yoruichi said, turning to enter the shōten, closely followed by Hachiro, Rukia and a glaring Ichigo.

* * *

><p>Five people sat around a coffee table in the center of the room. Rukia, Ichigo and Hachiro sat on one end while a man clad in a dark green pants and a matching shirt underneath a black coat sat across from them with Yoruichi at his side. His eyes were shadowed by the striped, green on white bucket hat that sat on top of his messy mop of pale blond hair as he sipped at his cup of tea.<p>

"So, you are the famed Guardian Samurai?" Urahara asked, his tone holding a serious note, something it rarely ever did.

Everyone tensed in varying degree when two rows of teeth suddenly emerged from Hachiro's otherwise plain mask. Hachiro raised his cup to sip his own cup of tea, something he had not had in centuries, only to see everybody staring as he opened the mask's maw along with his own mouth to drink it. There was a collective relax in the Shinigami's posture.

"_**Indeed, but please call me Hachiro." **_He spoke as he set his cup down, the teeth staying in place.

"I am curious though, what is the reason you departed from Hueco Mundo?" Urahara queried. The others watched the exchange with interest.

"_**Honestly?"**_ Hachiro asked, looking into the distance. **_"Well, being bored was certainly part of the reason I came down here. Though, in truth, the real reason was because I wanted to see what happened after I was betrayed all those years."_**

"Betrayed? You mean an evil samurai or something came to your village and overthrew you like in the story?" Ichigo asked. Hachiro snorted as he took another sip of tea, still gazing into the wall.

"_**Evil samurai..."**_ He trailed off, his tone darker than it was a second ago. **_"I was betrayed by my best friend who I knew ever since I knew how to walk. I was betrayed by a faithful brother who saved my life countless times in battle. And why? Because a woman rejected him?" _**

He turned his crimson eyes to Ichigo who fought back the urge to back up in surprise. Merely glancing at Hachiro's eyes one could see indescribable pain, loss and anger.

"_**What transpired was a far cry from a child's story, Ichigo."**_ He stated. **_"My home was broken into and destroyed by my own men. My wife and I were chained in the middle of the village. Aiko was killed in front of my eyes by the man I trusted the most before he took my own life." _**His reiatsu started rising, his eyes burning as his voice turned from a more human, overlaid voice to a deep, nigh demonic baritone. **"My hime was raped while I was unconscious, probably paraded around as a street whore! I didn't even figure it out until I died! That's when I turned into a Hollow and I don't regret it for a moment! I ripped Daisuke limb for limb in front of everybody and ground his skull into dust the moment I recovered."**

The reiatsu lifted as Hachiro closed his eyes and clenched his teeth tightly. Rukia was gasping for breath, her face a mask of horror and fear. Ichigo was stunned by both the story and the sudden, suffocating pressure he felt from Hachiro moments ago. Not even Urahara nor Yoruichi had ever seen a Vasto Lorde in person, much less felt its disturbing aura.

The true reason behind the rule that nothing short of two Shinigami Taicho should not approach a Vasto Lorde didn't not come simply from the power they possessed. It was because of the soul crushing aura around a Vasto Lorde that let its reiatsu flow out. It made even lieutenants want to jump into death's sweet embrace. Now, the four Shinigami perfectly understood why. Even Urahara had to admit the presence was unsettling.

"_**I'm sorry, it's just-"**_ Hachiro started, but was quickly cut off by Urahara.

"I understand perfectly." He assured. "You had a right to lose control, but let's change the topic, shall we?"

"Your mask." Yoruichi said. "I have never seen one of the likes on a Hollow. It's not covering your entire face, yet you do not have the Shinigami reiatsu of an Arrancar. The color is very peculiar as well."

Hachiro nodded. _**"It has been on my mind for quite some time as well. I'd have said this was evolution, but in all my time I have never seen any full Hollow with a compact mask or a black one. I seem to be an individual case."**_

The feline accepted the answer with a nod. Hachiro's head turned back towards the door.

"_**A Hollow appeared."**_ He informed. True to his words, Rukia's cellphone beeped an alert. At the same time, Hachiro's face adopted a frown and the phone turned silent. Rukia's brows scrunched up as she tapped the device with her fingernail.

"_**That..."**_ He stopped himself as he focused his senses to where the Hollow had been. He had never felt a reiatsu signature of the likes in his lifetime. As if that alone wasn't unsettling enough, another issue made itself known. Instead of the usual leftover Hollow reiatsu that would always remain after a Shinigami purified a Hollow, there was nothing to be felt. It was as if the Hollow never existed.

"_**Excuse me."**_ Hachiro said as he abruptly stood up and walked out of the store, disappearing with a prompt buzz of static.

Hachiro stood in the air, above the exact location where he felt the Hollow appear. Even here, he couldn't find the telltale traces. Something was terribly wrong. He stood there, wracking his brain for anything that could completely eradicate a soul. He heard from a Shinigami once that they used intense heat to remove the souls of their worst criminal offenders from the cycle of reincarnation. The only things he knew could possibly make such heat would be a very powerful Shinigami with a fire Zanpakutō or a powerful Kidō, perhaps an intense Cero could work as well, but the reiatsu was neither Hollow nor Shinigami, so all of these were implausible.

"Hey!" Ichigo yelled, stopping in the street under Hachiro, panting. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Hachiro sonidoed down to the Shinigami daikō just as Rukia rounded the corner and caught up with her counterpart.

"I told you to wait for me, baka!" She glared. Ichigo shrugged and looked away.

"Not my fault you're a midget." He dismissed, earning himself a kick in the shin. His teeth clenched in pain as he directed an icy glare at the 'petite' Shinigami.

Hachiro watched in amusement. He decided he would stick around with these two for the time being. He needed a rest from the constant hostility in Hueco Mundo. As a direct result of his life up to this point, he hadn't really had much contact with others other than the few and far in between Shinigami or a short exchange between himself and another Vasto Lorde as they crossed paths.

"_**Let's head back, whoever did this won't be coming back."**_ Hachiro interrupted their staring contest and started walking back in the direction of the shōten. He released a deep sigh as he tried to pin the strange reiatsu. Whoever it was, they knew how to hide their presence well. The way that Hollow was slain simply couldn't get off of his mind.

The main problem was that the Hollow was a low level one. It wasn't common knowledge to anyone other than a Hollow, but once a Hollow reached a Menos level, the souls the Hollow devoured during its earlier stages are expelled from it, letting them return to the reincarnation cycle. Otherwise, every time a Shinigami would purify an older Gillian, god forbid anything older and more powerful, thousands upon thousands of souls would suddenly appear in Soul Society. Needless to say, it would cause trouble for the Shinigami. Since the Hollow's been eradicated in an early stage, it also meant any souls it had devoured would also be lost forever.

"Hachiro, is something wrong?" Rukia asked, noting the Vasto Lorde's thoughtful expression.

"_**I'll explain in the shōten."**_ He responded. They continued the rest of the journey in silence.

When they arrived, Urahara and Yoruichi were still seated in the spots the trio left them, Urahara fanning himself with a white paper fan.

"_**I apologize for the abrupt leave, but something has occurred."**_ Hachiro told the two as he sat down, followed by the two curious Shinigami. He started relaying his findings to the Shinigami, along with the implications.

Urahara hid his face with his fan more out of habit than conscious thought as he listened. He knew exactly who was responsible for this, though he wouldn't let them know that. The scientist waited for Hachiro to finish his account.

"I see." He spoke. "This will require some research, but I will try to pinpoint the perpetrator. In the meantime, where will you be staying? I take it you would want to stay here and examine the town."

Hachiro frowned slightly. He hadn't really thought about a place to stay. He had a makeshift residence in a cave, but it wasn't exactly a homey place. That meant he was staying in the World of the Living if possible, but he didn't want to intrude upon the shop owner and his Taicho level cat.

"Sorry, but my I don't have anywhere to put you. I doubt you can fit in the closet like midget here." Ichigo said, idly pointing towards a fuming Rukia. Hachiro guessed it was a good thing for Ichigo that he was sitting in between the two.

"We have a spare bedroom here." Urahara suggested. "And you will need a reiatsu concealing gigai if you're going to explore anyway. It will take me a while to adjust the designs to Hollow reiatsu, but I think I will be able to make one by tomorrow."

Hachiro blinked. _**"Thank you for your kindness. Please, if you need anything, I will be at your disposal."**_

Urahara nodded. "It is not a problem. You have shown your kindness in the past, it is only fair that we return it."

Ichigo glanced at the clock mounted on the wall. "Oh shit!" The teen exclaimed. It was seven already and Yuzu always made it a point not to be late to dinner on Saturdays, saying it was a time for family bonding. In all actuality, it was just another dinner, but it meant a lot to Yuzu for some reason.

"We have to go now." Ichigo said as he stood up and yanked Rukia to her feet. "Hat-and-clogs, Cat-san, Hachiro."

With that, Ichigo sped off, dragging Rukia with him. The three people left stared at where the two stood for a few moments before collectively shaking their heads. Sighing, Hachiro turned to Urahara.

"_**Well, now that the kids are gone,"**_ He started, gaining their attention. **_"Mind telling me why you have a Shinigami Taicho as a pet?"_**

Yoruichi choked on her own spit while Urahara's fan froze in it's movements as he tried to fight down the laughter that assaulted him when he got a mental image of him walking Yoruichi on a leash.

"How did you know?" Yoruichi almost whispered. She thought her disguise was perfect. Not one Shinigami had found her in well over a century!

"_**Your name."**_ Hachiro simply said, making Urahara laugh and get a glare. **_"I constantly ask for the Shinigami I meet to tell me about their world. The last ones I met told me about a Shihōin Yoruichi, Shinigami Taicho and head of the noble Shihōin family."_**

"I guess I brought it upon myself, didn't I?" She asked. "Yes, I was the Taicho of Squad Two."

"And I am Urahara Kisuke, former Taicho of Squad Twelve and founder of the Research and Development department of the Gotei Thirteen." Urahara said. "The man you saw earlier was Tsukabishi Tessai, former Taicho of the Kido Corps."

"Before you ask," Yoruichi said. "We have done nothing against Soul Society. We have been wrongfully accused of a crime we did not commit, so we did the only thing we could; we escaped into the living world."

Hachiro looked them both in the eyes, finding nothing but honesty. He decided that he would let it stay at this. At least for now. _**"I believe you."**_ He stated after a moment. **_"I want to thank you both for helping me. Most Shinigami wouldn't even talk to me, much less help me. For that you have my gratitude."_**

"We have already told you it is not a problem." Yoruichi said. She, like Urahara and Tessai, had no problems with the Hollow. They did not view Hollows as evil beings as most of Soul Society did, the Visored furthering that standpoint. Their views were even partially influenced by the stories about Hachiro, therefore the trio of exiled Taicho had no qualms about assisting Hachiro in the least.

"Well, I should get working on that gigai I guess. We don't want Soul Society noticing you have stayed in the living world longer than you should, now do we?" Urahara stood up along with Hachiro.

"_**I would like to retire if that's okay with you."**_ Hachiro said. **_"I haven't slept for a few days."_**

"I will show you to your room." Yoruichi offered. The bucket hat wearing Shinigami glanced at his long time friend.

"I will have your gigai ready by morning. Good night, Hachiro." Urahara said and walked out of the room. Yoruichi started towards another door and Hachiro followed wordlessly. They walked down a hallway lined with sliding doors on its left side. They reached the last sliding door and Yoruichi pushed it open with her paw.

"This will be your room." Yoruichi informed. Hachiro surveyed the room. It was simplistic in design. A futon stood in the corner, a wardrobe in the other, a writing desk and a chair at the foot of the futon, just under the window. One of the black devices he saw earlier today was mounted on the wall to the right of his bed. A small, rectangular device was on the night table that lay at the head of the bed.

"_**Thank you, Yoruichi."**_ He smiled down at the cat, even though his mask wouldn't let it show. She nodded her head.

"My room is down the hall while Kisuke's is in the middle. Call if you need anything." She said and padded her way down the hall. Hachiro stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He took off the helmet, letting his shoulder length, dark hazel hair show.

It had been ages since he stepped into a real bedroom, much less seen a real bed. A shudder ran up his spine back at the thought of sleeping on a soft mattress, but he couldn't sleep just yet.

Hachiro let his gaze travel until it found itself locked onto the black device. Underneath the mask, a gleeful grin appeared.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Notes: <em>Please tell me what you think of the story. Feedback is greatly appreciated.

Now, to honor the spirit of Bleach and most anime, a small omake is in order.

* * *

><p>Yoruichi had a spring in her step as she walked down the hallway with a grin. Sliding her door open, her eyes sparkled at the sight of her room. Posters littered the wall and even the ceiling, her favorite person in the world on them, just as it was on her sheets, favorite shirt and her custom made Shunko outfit.<p>

Yoruichi jumped onto her bed, transforming into her human form, the grin and sparkle in her eyes still present. She raised herself on her elbows and, almost with reverence, lifted her pillow to retrieve her most prized possession.

With an excited squeal, she smothered the samurai plushy within her generous bust. There was only one thought on her overjoyed mind.

"_He's real!"_


End file.
